Tag Archives: lavender bags

Baby it’s cold outside. And what better way to warm up than with the natural warmth of fur.

Alberta Ferretti Fall Winter 2012

Fur has been all over the catwalks this season. It’s the ultimate way to add a luxurious note to your outfit. Designers such as Fendi and McQueen went all out with their use of fur, while designers such as Alberta Ferretti were subtler in their use. Louis Vuitton brought out this wonderful handbag.

The Mulberry A/W 12 ‘Where the Wild Things are’ campaign

At Mulberry, they took their inspiration from the book Where The Wild Things Are, and embraced the fur trend. At their AW12 show, Claridges’ ballroom was kitted out with long-haired fur seats, referencing a key textile from the show – Mongolian fur. Mulberry sent some beautiful looks down the catwalk, including lots of shorn fur jackets, layered over chunky knits, and pulled together with gorgeous belts.

Maggie Smith as as Countess Grantham

So fur accessories are back in a big way. We’ve also noticed it a lot in TV shows Downton Abbey, Mr Selfridge and Parade’s End, where the lead characters are often seen wearing beautiful furs.

The Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) is often regal and impressive under a mountain of fur shawls.

Louis Vuitton’s fur handbag

Fur gets some bad press, but here at Celia Lindsell, we use ecological possum fur from New Zealand. The possum was introduced into New Zealand from Australia in 1837. The possums settled in very quickly, but unfortunately they are very aggressive predators, and soon were destroying much of the country’s natural flora and fauna. The current possum population in New Zealand is estimated at 60-90 million.

The possum is recognised by The World Conversation Unions (IUCN), the New Zealand Government and many other ecological groups as a serious threat to New Zealand’s biodiversity and a major ecological catastrophe; it features in the world’s 100 invasive species lists. As a prolific vector for spreading bovine tuberculosis it is also a major threat to agriculture.

Faced with massive destruction of its huge forested areas, New Zealand is providing a sustainable solution; the humane reduction of the Australian Possum is the only way to resolve this urgent ecological crisis.

The fur we use is wonderfully soft, and perfect for this freezing weather. It’s the ecological and humane fur choice, perfect for eco-conscious fashionistas.

“In an age of “slow”, eco, sustainable fashion, in which heritage has become the watchword, fur can boast an ancestry of 100,000 years. It is a natural, renewable, biodegradable resource. In contrast, most fake furs are made from petroleum-based products derived from non-renewable resources. There is a tradition of fur being handed down and restyled through generations, rather less so with fast fashion substitutes.”

Fur is the ecological choice, and the fashionable choice. So wrap up warm and keep out the cold.

Poor Kate. Her pregnancy was always going to be the subject of intense focus, but now she’s mid throw of morning sickness.

It must be awful having to attend public occasions feeling sick, and having to put on a brave face.

This exceptional Lavender Honey comes from the southern slopes of Mont Ventoux, Provence.

However, I was very happy to hear that the Duchess of Cambridge has discovered the wonderful effects of lavender for treating nausea.

Nausea is a pretty miserable condition. The name actually comes from the Latin nausia, meaning ship. It can be caused by a variety of things: motion, pregnancy, stomach flu, inner ear disorders, emotional stress, chemotherapy and intestinal problems.

These lavender pillows can help alleviate morning sickness.

There is not a specific cure for it, but the good news is that lavender can help alleviate waves of nausea.The Duchess of Cambridge is an international style icon, and presumably is now an icon for many mothers and mothers to be. It’s been revealed that the Duchess has been eating lavender biscuits to help relieve her morning sickness. And very wise she is to do so.

Lavender is perfect for pregnant women suffering from morning sickness, as the smell can help alleviate the condition.

Did you know the scent of Lavender can help relieve car sickness?

Keeping a lavender bag nearby is a good way of dealing with morning sickness on the go. A few drops of lavender oil in a bath, if you have more time, will not only relax, but will also help reduce nausea.

My mother taught me to sew so I was well prepared to create my first lavender bag, and a great many to follow. However there was always going to be a time when I needed to outsource the manufacturing of my Lavender Collection.

I was apprehensive about creating rising costs, having to commission very large quantities and finding greedy factory bosses.

By chance I was introduced to Jesus Mereno, the managing director of IPSIS, a state aided scheme to help handicapped people into work. I have to say his name gave me hope. Part of the IPSIS group is a sewing factory run by Chantal. I instantly liked her. She is a ‘yes we can’ lady which is rare to find in France and was happy to start off with relatively small quantities with the belief that these would grow. The factory employs 40 people with various mental or physical handicaps. Due to their conditions they are unable to hold down jobs in conventional factories.

Chantal is one of the finest people I have worked with. She is highly efficient, frank and always enthusiastic. Such a pleasure. Nora runs the factory floor, has a divine smile and is a stickler for detail and precision.

Their sister factory fill all my lavender bags. They are 2 kms apart with frequent deliveries between the two. Elisa 30 is also an IPSIS organization and Noelle is the boss of the factory floor. She has 14 employees who meticulously weight my lavender, fill the bags and tie the pretty bows. Elisa 30 has 4 separate divisions in total: a commercial cleaning service, a motorbike garage, a restaurant and the assembly factory. In total they employ over 100 handicapped people.

Noelle has worked hard to perfect my collection and nothing leaves the factory before passing before her beady eye. Once it has left her factory I know it will be perfect.

These factories give opportunities to handicapped people, I for one, take for granted. They provide the pleasure of job satisfaction, the rewards of being part of team and a very important salary.

Being so close to where I live I am able regularly to visit the factories. I adore seeing neat rows of my lavender bags all ready to go. I can tell you it beats getting on a plane to China!

I so loved creating this lavender bag. I loathe the smell of dogs in cars! Some are worse than others of course. But at some stage or another dog owners have smelly cars.

I have kept lavender bags in my car for years. Everyone always comments on the wonderful smell in my car. They can get pretty musty. Any as far as I know the only alternative are those things you buy in car washes that swing from the mirror and mainly smell of synthetic strawberries.

So here it is A Lavender Bag for the Car full of the finest Provencal French Lavender. I found the fabric in America. It really makes me laugh, all those dogs of various shapes and sizes against a dogtooth background. So clever.

I reckoned also it was important to be able to wash the bag. So it is closed with press stud poppers, just open up and chuck in the washing machine. Clean as new.

The other great benefit of this lavender bag is it keeps everyone in the car calm and relaxed. Imagine that, something to relax the kids in the car. Keep the driver stress free too. And guess what I have just lean’t, the scent of Lavender will help relieve the symptoms of car sickness. Now mothers, how useful is that!